On the road again ........ destination, Venice!

It seems like forever since we returned from our winter trip to Morocco/Portugal at the end of March and much has been done in the meantime. The self inflicted dings and dents sustained on last trip have been sorted, new cam belt, alternator belt, water pump and some other bits and pieces all done........ so we are set for most things.

Set off from home in Malaga on Monday and now pitched up at Benisol in good old Benidorm for a couple of days before heading to Barcelona to meet friends. From there we head around the Med coast of France to Italy visiting Venice, Florence and Rome before returning to Barcelona with Grimaldi Lines from {near} Rome.

After Barcelona it is all new ground for us, so any tips, advice on stop overs, must see stuff or any general info most welcome. Hope to post progress from time to time depending on internet access..... guess we will develop a taste for McDonalds :Rofl1::Rofl1::Rofl1:

Thanks for the info looks v interesting. The "all inclusive boat tickets?" Are they readily available or only at a specific sales venue?

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They are readily available. From Camping Miramare (past the port, on the left) it's ten minutes walk to the port and you can buy the tickets there. They operate like Oyster Cards - put them into the machine to 'read' and walk on board with your ticket to use again. We travelled on them whenever we could - just for the fun of touring around Venice and its islands. :Rofl1::Rofl1:

Tempted fates with comments in original post,,,,,, alternator packed up and the holiday fund took a €300 hit to be replaced:Sad::Sad::Sad:.

Are we downhearted......... course we are :Rofl1::Rofl1::Rofl1: but the journey must go on, will just batter the plastic !!!

Regards Bryan

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At least you weren't in France. When my alternator pegged out two years ago they were talking £700 as long as nothing else needed doing. Luckily Saga took us back home and it was done for less than £300. The French certainly know how to charge for services.

At least you weren't in France. When my alternator pegged out two years ago they were talking £700 as long as nothing else needed doing. Luckily Saga took us back home and it was done for less than £300. The French certainly know how to charge for services.

Enjoy Italy and the free sostas.

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The Spanish mechanic was great, small back street family business and they virtually dropped everything and we had the van back in 4 hours......... admittedly siesta increased that to 6 hours. €155 parts, €75 labour the rest VAT. Made big mistake.......... when he asked "want a bill" the answer should have been a resounding "No" but like an unthinking prat I said "Yes please"..... hence the added VAT ! I really should no better, missed the signal.

Brian, while researching this trip,I stumbled across one of your recent posts regarding group of vans you took to Lake Garda (?). You mentioned a particular camp site, which I thought I had book marked....... if I did, cannot find it. Do you recall the post/site?

Brian, while researching this trip,I stumbled across one of your recent posts regarding group of vans you took to Lake Garda (?). You mentioned a particular camp site, which I thought I had book marked....... if I did, cannot find it. Do you recall the post/site?

Regards, Bryan

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Hi Bryan

Think the sites Brian has used at Lake Garda are Camp Butterfly @ Pescheria Del Garda

Elaine really want to go to Venice but we only have 2 weeks in late September or early October
What it like weather wise
Are sites still open in October
Can someone recommend a route down that's fairly quick avoids tolls were possible but I dont mind paying tolls to avoid long detours that put excessive mileage or time on trip
I dont like paying out for tolls but some times it seems that when you take into account the extra time and fuel used in some of the detours that people take its could not be worth it especially if only on a short break

Venice: We prefer to use campsites across the lagoon along the Adriatic Coast near Punta Sabbioni, then catch the ferry to Venice in the morning. In Venice you can eat surprisingly cheaply along the Grand Canal within sight of the Rialto Bridge if you shop around. Ristorante Omnibus has kept us happy on a couple of occasions. Other lower cost eateries can be found along the waterfront in the direct of the Arsenale. We did a boat trip out to Murano and Burano but weren't mightily impressed, and their waterways were a bit pongy, whereas the Venice ones seemed OK. If you don't want to pay a fortune for a gondola ride, try a Traghetta across the Grand Canal - a sort of ferry gondola which you can stand up in if you want a laugh. All of the main tourist attractions are worth looking at, but early queueing is recommended. Enjoy your trip.

'Aren't you happy just to be alive? Anything's possible' - Pulp, 'Dishes'

The van saga continues......... battery not charging after new alternator fitted few days ago, booked into garage tomorrow for inspection.

In the meantime spent our first visit this trip in beautiful Barcelona and explored the truly amazing St Joseph's Market, halfway down La Rambla....... the pictures tell the story better than I am able.

The van saga continues......... battery not charging after new alternator fitted few days ago, booked into garage tomorrow for inspection.

In the meantime spent our first visit this trip in beautiful Barcelona and explored the truly amazing St Joseph's Market, halfway down La Rambla....... the pictures tell the story better than I am able.

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H

No joy with garage in Barcelona, backtracked to Lorca in Murcia to see original mechanic, round trip of 800 miles !! New,new alternator now fitted and is performing OK and we are now back on the road. Pitched up at Roses just south of French border and will cross into France later today. Filled up with diesel at good old Carrefour and collected my 8% discount, just need to find Cepsa garage to buy gas bottle.

Our favourite for visiting Venice is - Camping International, Lido De Jesolo. http://www.jesolointernational.it/home_eng.htm. Bus stop right outside to take you to Punta Sabbioni for ferries to Venice but very close, walkable to Jesolo.